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Business Monthly
HEALTH CARE
Dr. Chris Holdhusen, right, checks the blood pressure of
a patient at the Flathead Community Health Center.
BEACON FILE PHOTO
Doctor Shortage Leads to Questions of Health Care Access
Despite growth in health care industry, Northwest Montana residents still have trouble nding and seeing primary care physicians
WBY MOLLY PRIDDY OF THE BEACON
HEN THE AFFORABLE CARE Act – also known as Obamacare – was held up as
law in 2012, the country made a shift toward a preventative care model, with people going back to primary care physi- cians to diagnose and follow their issues.
Preventative treatment is less expen- sive than reactive treatment; according to a report on improving health care in America from the Bipartisan Policy Cen- ter, Americans spend twice as much on health care as people in other developed countries, yet we have shorter life spans and higher rates of infant mortality and diabetes.
Chronic disease accounts for 86 per- cent of all U.S. health care costs, the policy center reported, and such health issues a ect about half of the adult pop- ulation in the country.
However, visiting a primary care doc- tor in Montana to catch these health problems early can be a challenge in itself.
“A physician workforce shortage has been an ongoing issue in Montana and
it de nitely has been a priority issue for the Montana Medical Association,” Jean Branscum, CEO of MMA, said. “It’s an issue we work on on a continual basis.”
The entire country is expected to endure a physician shortage in general, with the Association of American Med- ical Colleges projecting a shortfall of between 46,100 and 90,400 doctors by 2025. There may be more doctors coming out of schools, the AAMC reported, but the demand for their services is expected to grow dramatically.
A lack of doctors is already on the radar for health centers in the Flathead. The Flathead City-County Health Depart- ment, along with North Valley Hospital in White sh and Kalispell Regional Health- care, noted speci c e orts in recruiting
and retaining primary care doctors to keep up.
Rhonda Tallman, senior director of provider and clinical services at North Valley, said her experience working with the hospital’s outpatient clinics has illu- minated some of the reasons keeping doctors here can be tough, such as lower wages and high patient volume from res- idents and visitors.
“We live in a county with a certain population, but we have an in ux in both seasons, the summer and the winter, but they don’t live here,” Tallman said.
Rural physicians also tend to work lon- ger hours, leading to burnout. But Tall- man said North Valley is “doing ne” with family practice doctors, despite challenges.
At Kalispell Regional Healthcare, Jim Oliverson, vice president, said the health care system recruited 40 doctors in 2015, and four of them were primary care phy- sicians. In 2016, Oliverson said KRH would attempt to recruit at least 10 more primary care doctors to meet demand.
Hillary Hanson, deputy health o cer at the city-county health department, said the most recent health care needs assessment conducted by the three enti- ties highlights the complexities of why people don’t see doctors with regularity.
“It’s a little bit the lack of physicians, a little bit ensuring physicians are avail- able, and ensuring the patient can pay,” Hanson said.
Flathead County is designated as a health provider shortage area through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, with a classi cation for low income as well as a shortage in pri- mary care. That designation made the county eligible for nancing that even- tually led to the Flathead Community Health Center, Hanson said, providing more access for county residents and
CONTINUED ON PAGE 33
“A PHYSICIAN WORKFORCE SHORTAGE HAS BEEN AN ONGOING ISSUE IN MONTANA AND IT DEFINITELY HAS BEEN A PRIORITY ISSUE FOR THE MONTANA MEDICAL ASSOCIATION. IT’S AN ISSUE WE WORK ON ON A CONTINUAL BASIS.”
- JEAN BRANSCUM, CEO OF MONTANA MEDICAL ASSOCIATION
JANUARY 27, 2016 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM
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